


Cooking Together

by AlphaShae, shaetil (AlphaShae)



Category: One Piece
Genre: Complete, Fluff, Gen, Nakama, Nakamaship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-29
Updated: 2015-04-29
Packaged: 2018-03-26 08:52:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3844759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlphaShae/pseuds/AlphaShae, https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlphaShae/pseuds/shaetil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sanji spends a lot of time alone in the kitchen, and Chopper is concerned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cooking Together

"Chopper?"

Sanji watched the little reindeer curiously as he entered the kitchen and trotted up to the counter before pulling himself up to sit on one of the stools. "What are you doing here? Dinner won't be for another two hours."

Tapping a hoof on the counter in a nervous gesture, Chopper's eyes studied his face carefully, "I wanted to keep you company."

Sanji flashed the little doctor a warm smile, "That's very considerate of you, but you don't have to worry about me! I know you have some new books from the last island that you want to study..."

Chopper fidgeted in his seat, "But don't you feel lonely in here all day?"

Shrugging, Sanji lifted the lid on his soup pot to check the color of his stew, "I'm used to it. Cooking keeps me busy you know. And there's always Luffy and that shitty seaweed pile wandering in here."

The reindeer doctor seemed to be deep in thought so Sanji let him be as he washed a pile of vegetables to peel and add to his stock. Chopper slid off the stool, and Sanji assumed that he was leaving until he heard the tapping of hooves on the floorboards behind him and felt a tug on his slacks. "What was it like? Working at the Baratie?"

Sanji's cigarette almost fell out of his mouth as he gaped in surprise at Chopper's question, "Who told you about that?!"

"Luffy."

"Huh..." Sanji recovered his wits and went back to skillfully peeling his ingredients. What could he say about that place?

Chopper ventured another question as he watched Sanji with huge eyes, "You lived with lots of other cooks there didn't you? Did they teach you to cook so well?"

Sanji snorted, "Those other bastards were fucking useless. Couldn't even have Patty greet the damn guests! I learned shit all from those assholes."

The grin tugging at his lips contradicted his harsh words as a kaleidoscope of memories flooded his brain. Chopper's fuzzy little ears were perked with interest as he returned Sanji's smile, "Was there really an old man with a really big moustache? Is the Baratie really a giant fish?"

"Give me a minute..." Dropping his vegetables into the stew, Sanji grabbed a basket of freshly washed fruits, a large bowl and a couple of knives before carrying everything over to the table. Chopper followed him; eyes shining with open curiosity. Sanji handed him a knife. "Separate the peaches from the pits inside, peel them, and cut them up into bite-sized pieces. You can put the pieces in the bowl and leave the pits in the basket."

"O-okay..." Chopper climbed to stand on a chair and Sanji helpfully pushed the basket closer to the fluffy doctor.

Sanji grabbed a peach of his own and got to work, lazily rocking back in his chair as he thought back to his old life, "The Baratie isn't a real fish. It just looks like a fish. The old man got it for a good price." "Old man?"

"Zeff. The geezer with the moustache..."

"WAAAAH! SO HE REALLY HAS A MOUSTACHE THE SIZE OF ZORO'S SWORD?!"

Sanji chuckled, "Luffy says some weird shit, but yeah. It's pretty long. I don't remember him ever cutting it. Unless you count the time Carne fucked up a flambé and burned part of it straight off! Zeff was so pissed! He kicked Carne right through the nearest table!"

"Oh..." Chopper blinked, "Is that where you learned to kick?"

Wiping away a few tears from laughter with the back of his hand, Sanji nodded, "Yeah. I had to learn. The old geezer was terrible. If I dropped plates, or messed up the soup, or plated a dish poorly he would kick my ass from one side of the kitchen to the other! When I grew up I learned to fight back. I still haven't beaten him yet... He would always nail me with that damn toque when I wasn't paying attention."

Chopper grabbed another peach, "You're not related to... Mr. Zeff?"

"No." 

His memories flew back to endless hunger, a barren rock, and watching the ship that had once been his home sink into the sea. Chopper cleared his throat nervously and changed the subject, "Did you like growing up there?"

Sanji's expression softened, "I learned a lot there. The old man taught me everything he knew about food, and the other cooks drove me nuts - competing with me so I'd just keep getting better... I owe them all quite a lot."

Chopper grabbed the last peach, "I know what you mean... I can't ever repay them; Doctorine and Hiluluk..."

Standing, Sanji gathered up the bowl of fruit and patted Chopper's hat on the way by, "Come on. I'm going to show you how to bake a cobbler."

Chopper sniffled softly, obviously distressed by his own memories, "Really? You don't mind?"

Sanji shook his head with a smile, "I could use the company."

Beaming with happiness, Chopper hopped down from his chair and pattered after Sanji. Pulling out more ingredients, Sanji listened to Chopper rinsing the fruits' stickiness from his hooves at the sink. As much as he loved having free reign over his own kitchen it was soothing having another body working beside him. When Chopper pulled up a stool so he could reach the counter, Sanji instructed him to measure out the flour. "Okay... Is this good?"

Sanji inspected Chopper's bowl, "Yes that's fine."

Chopper wiggled in his seat with excitement as he waited for new instructions, "I love cobbler! It'll be fun to see how it's made!"

"This recipe is one of Zeff's. I learned it when I was still small."

Sanji smiled at Chopper's awestruck expression and handed him the sugar. The two of them chatted amiably as they prepared the ingredients. It all went much slower than if Sanji were making the cobbler alone; however he wasn't bothered by that at all. The talk made the extra time fly by quickly.

When the dessert went into the oven to cook, Sanji patted Chopper's hat gratefully, "Thanks for the company and the help. You did a good job! You're a real baker!"

Chopper wiggled happily, "Hearing how well I did doesn't make me happy you bastard!" Sanji chuckled and Chopper kept up his antics for a little while.

When Sanji turned back to check on his stew once more he felt a familiar tug on his pants, "Hey, Sanji?" Chopper looked up at him with sincere eyes, "Can I come cook with you again sometime?"

Sanji's smile was so wide it ached, "I'd like that!"

Not only did he mean that from the bottom of his heart, but he was already thinking about all the dishes that he wanted to teach Chopper to make. It felt so good to share his kitchen again. Chopper walked the end of the counter before looking back, "I'd like to visit the Baratie someday."

Pulling out a new cigarette, Sanji lit it up, and breathed in and out slowly, "Someday for sure."

Chopper nodded and opened the galley door, "I'll come by to help again tomorrow!"

He left Sanji alone again, but now the cook had an extra spring in his step and a heart full of good memories as he went about the rest of his work.


End file.
